Now the cut
the dragon had given him
started burning up; Beowulf found
he was being poisoned by it,
stomach rolling, he figured out
what was happening to him and crawled over
to the wall. He stared at
the huge stones, seeing how the bank was
supported by strong braces.
And then his good friend and soldier
cleaned his injuries with his own hands,
cooled him off,
cleansed him and made him comfortable.
Beowulf wanted to talk even though
he was dying from his tussle with the dragon,
for he knew a lot of things and he knew that
he only had a little time left to live.
He would die very soon.
"I wish I had
a son to give my armour to before I die,
if I had been lucky enough to have had children..
I could live on through them. For half a century
I was King. Nobody
would be stupid enough to
attack me, nobody was strong enough.
I went with the flow,
took good care of my property and people,
never fought without just cause, and
I was honest. And this is a comforting thought,
that even though I'm almost dead and all,
at least nobody, not even God, can accuse me
for murder of my people. Alright, go and fetch
me the treasure from where the dragon lies dead, Wiglaf,
go fast and see the treasure.
Go, go, I want to know, I want to see
the gold and stones. I'll be able to die in peace
knowing the riches will keep safe and secure
the people I've dedicated my life to."
Podcast:
Paraphrase:
Now the cut
the dragon had given him
started burning up; Beowulf found
he was being poisoned by it,
stomach rolling, he figured out
what was happening to him and crawled over
to the wall. He stared at
the huge stones, seeing how the bank was
supported by strong braces.
And then his good friend and soldier
cleaned his injuries with his own hands,
cooled him off,
cleansed him and made him comfortable.
Beowulf wanted to talk even though
he was dying from his tussle with the dragon,
for he knew a lot of things and he knew that
he only had a little time left to live.
He would die very soon.
"I wish I had
a son to give my armour to before I die,
if I had been lucky enough to have had children..
I could live on through them. For half a century
I was King. Nobody
would be stupid enough to
attack me, nobody was strong enough.
I went with the flow,
took good care of my property and people,
never fought without just cause, and
I was honest. And this is a comforting thought,
that even though I'm almost dead and all,
at least nobody, not even God, can accuse me
for murder of my people. Alright, go and fetch
me the treasure from where the dragon lies dead, Wiglaf,
go fast and see the treasure.
Go, go, I want to know, I want to see
the gold and stones. I'll be able to die in peace
knowing the riches will keep safe and secure
the people I've dedicated my life to."